


Gotta Appreciate the Guys on the Sidelines!

by SioDymph



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Flashbacks, Found Family, Gen, Mentions of alcohol, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-04 17:57:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18609607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SioDymph/pseuds/SioDymph
Summary: Here's a series of short stories dedicated to the Tangled Side Character Appreciation Month!





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted these to come out on time since SCAM sounded like such an amazing idea, unfortunately April was a pretty chaotic month for me. But better late than never! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

They hadn’t meant to run into the Princess’s Caravan. After they parted ways the last time Angry and Red thought they wouldn’t see Eugene and Rapunzel for a long time. But as it turned out they were all more or less taking the same path east. And the only reason it took the girls so long to even notice was because they’d made their way off the roads, far into the woods.

And after an entire day of trekking, as the girls had set up camp for the night they ended up spotting it. When Angry saw that faded yellow and purple caravan at first she had to do a double take as she realized who it was. And once she did, she started growing annoyed. What was the point of saying goodbye and splitting up when they just kept running into each other?

Huffing indignantly she went back over the map she and Red had made. A few months ago when they’d stopped in a town they traced their own copy of a map on display there. At first they’d been tempted to steal the whole thing but ended deciding that would be more trouble than its worth. Plus they were still trying to do the whole “turning a new leaf” thing… key word being _try._

“How does this keep happening?” Angry grumbled. While the caravan was stopped in a clearing the girls spied on it from a tree further back in the underbrush. It was clear they were planning on staying there for the night. There were several tents set out and a camp fire was down to its last glowing embers.

“Well I don’t think they’re really following a map.” Red tried to say in their defense. “Just those creepy rocks? Maybe we are going to the same place…”

“As if!” Angry scoffed, readjusting the sack on her shoulder while tilting their map. “We just need to head north from here and get back on track.”

“And what if they’re heading north too?” Red asked. There was also another question on her mind but seeing how moody her partner was already she dreaded bringing it up. “You know… If we’re all heading in the same direction… We could always go together?”

Angry didn’t answer. Just stuck her nose closer to their map as if that would show her a secret path.

“Come on, you know it makes sense!”

Angry just continued to ignore her.

Finally getting fed up, Red reached for the map. “Ugh! Gimme that, I’m trying to be serious!”

“Cut it out! I’m trying to read!” Angry jerked around, pulling the map out of Red’s reach.

But that shift was just enough to push the sack off Angry’s shoulder and down her arm. And before either one could snatch it out of the air it crashed onto the ground, sending all of its supplies scattering loudly.

“Why didn’t you grab it?” Angry snapped

“I thought you were gonna! It’s your bag!” Red snapped back.

“I had my hands full, and it’s not like-”

“HEY!”

For a moment the girls’ hearts jumped up into their throats. And when they looked back out Lance was at the caravan door. Lantern in hand and looking out into the woods where their sack had fallen from the tree.

A sleepy Rapunzel poked her head out from one of the tents. “What’s going on?”

“I thought I heard something, I’m gonna check it out…”

As Rapunzel and Lance went back and forth about if it was safe to go out alone at night, Angry began scurrying down the tree. “Great.”

Red reluctantly followed. “What’s the problem? It’s not like we’re strangers.”

“But I don’t want to deal with this!” Angry said, landing on the ground silently and hurrying to pick up her bag and everything that had fallen out. “If they see us it’ll be a whole thing. They’ll want to talk and it’ll be so awkward.”

Red tried to say something but Lance was leaving the camp now.

“Ok I’m coming out there! So you might as well just show yourself!”

They were running out of time, any moment Lance would look their way and see them. But there were still several books and things scattered in the grass.

“Leave it! If they don’t take it we can come back later to grab it!” Anger whispered, getting ready to bolt.

Red was going to follow suit. But then she saw Eugene’s comb on the ground. “Wait!”

“What are you- No!” Angry whispered back. But it was too late.

Red took the risk and ran over to grab the comb. Just as she did though, a much larger hand came and reached for the comb at the same time.

And when she looked up, she saw her old friend’s face slowly go from shock to pure delight.

“Red!” Lance said, not even hesitating to scoop the girl up into her arms. And despite everything going on Red hugged the man back tightly. “Awwww, how are you doing? I didn’t know you girls were out this far! Where’s the other one?”

“Right here.” Angry said, picking up the rest of her things. “And we were just leaving.”

All at once, that happiness in Lance turned into concern as he hugged Red. “What? What do you mean?”

“She thinks we should go.” Red said for her.

“I _know_ we got off track.” Angry said, retying her bag and slinging onto her back, this time using both shoulder straps. And as she talked she looked completely at Red. “So if you don’t mind, _we’ll_ be leaving.”

Lance gave both girls a look as he slowly set Red back on the ground. “Right now? It’s the middle of the night!”

“Way to go captain obvious.” Angry said sarcastically, still not really looking at Lance.

“This place is dangerous enough by day. You can’t imagine-” He tried.

“And you think we can’t take care of ourselves?” Angry snapped.

“Hey, I never said that.” Lance tried again. “I’m just saying sometimes, in some situations, there’s strength in numbers. And I think now is really one of those times.”

“Nice save!” Red said. Angry seemed much less amused and gave the man a scowl.

But Lance continued. “You have no idea what sort of things me and the guys have seen!”

But Angry hardly seemed impressed with Lance’s arguments. “We’ve made it this far and in case you haven’t noticed we’re fine. So we really should get going, come on!”

As Angry stomped away Red followed suit, giving Lance a sad wave before running to catch up with her partner.

Thinking fast, Lance pulled out the final trick in his artillery. “I got leftovers! At least let me give you something so I know you’re not leaving on empty stomachs!”

That was finally enough to make both girls stop and turn back around.

“You got anything good?” Angry asked, doing her best to still sound disinterested.

“Depends. Does chicken stew with wild rice and the works sound good to you?”

In a matter of minutes Lance had both girls sitting around the rekindled campfire with steaming bowl of reheated stew in their hands.

“So how’ve you fancy little ladies been?” Lance asked, keeping his voice low so nobody else from the camp woke up.

“Alright I guess.” Red whispered back. “Almost got kidnapped a while back.”

Lance replied, smiling lightly. “Oh yeah! Eugene told me all about that. Sorry I wasn’t there to help, they sounded like real pieces of work.”

“They were.” Red said.

As the two talked Angry was uncharacteristically silent. Just eating quickly and quietly. Not really looking at either of them, just glancing up from her bowl now and again to look into the fire. And occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure no one else from the camp was up.

Red looked over to her, before pulling out a necklace tucked into her shirt and rubbing her thumb over a metal leaf charm. “But we took care of it. Right Angry?”

Angry looked up, and slowly returned Red’s soft smile. “Sure did…”

“That’s good.” Lance said, raking the coals of the fire as he talked. “I always thought you two make quite the team. Reminds me of Eugene and me back in the day.”

“Really?” Red asked.

“No, we’re better” Angry said quickly.

“Ehhhh I think that’s up for debate. But when I was your age, Eugene and I were thick as… well… you know.”

That got both girls to giggle a little.

“Yeah, he’s my best buddy, pretty much a brother to me even now.” Lance said a little wistfully. “I don’t know what I’d do if I never found Eugene last year. And I never would have guessed that any of this would happen.”

“It is pretty weird out here...” Angry agreed.

“Wait, so where are you guys even going?”

Angry just shrugged. “Not too sure, we just wanted to go somewhere better.”

“We’ll know it when we see it!” Red added with a little smile.

“Well… I hope you guys find what you’re looking for…”

When everyone’s soup was gone and the fire died down to smoldering embers again, the girl’s packed up their meager things and Lance sent them on their way. Though not before giving both girls enough food to last two weeks on the road along with a bag of coins and pair of scarves. Lance would have given them more but Angry insisted after the scarf that they were fine and didn’t need to carry any extra weight.

As the girls left, they felt a little bitter-sweetness seeing Lance again and already leaving. But both he and they felt confident that they’d see each other again.

Though even as they left, both girls couldn’t help but wonder if they’d found the thing they’d been searching for…


	2. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s my take on the theme “Family”! For this fic Quirin’s on baby-duty when he starts getting night visitors…
> 
> (Plus I wrote a little song I'm gonna call "Lullaby of the Dark Kingdom")

Ever since Varian was born Quirin had been trying not to worry.

To not worry about how hard the pregnancy had been on Abigail. To not worry about how Varian was practically nocturnal, sleeping the day away and spending all night wide-eyed. To not worry about how no matter what tactics they’d tried to change their baby’s sleeping habits nothing was working. To not worry about how Varian would sometimes just stare up at the moon as if in a trance. To not worry about the bright blue streak in the baby’s hair…

But try as he might, Quirin was still worried.

He knew all of this meant something, and the fact that he was pretty sure what it entailed failed to make him feel any better. So as he spent each night up with a very awake Varian while Abigail rested there was a pit of dread in his stomach. Even as he held his son’s tiny hands within his own all he could do was sigh heavily. Life had never been easy for him… And he doubted it would be any easier for his son…

“What are we going to do with you?” Quirin found himself saying.

Varian just looked up at him with his big blue eyes. And gave him a toothless smile before trying to mouth at Quirin’s hand. Before he had a kid Quirin would have been disgusted, and if he were being honest he still was a little grossed-out, but he made no move to try and get his hand away from Varian.

“You keep that up and you just might bite my hand clean off, won’t you.” Quirin said in a low, teasing voice. “I bet you would, little rascal.”

Rocking Varian slowly in his arms, Quirin tried to sing his son a lullaby and lull him to sleep. He didn’t have the same gentle, lovely voice as his wife but he still tried singing. It didn’t work, it seldom ever did, but it still tried. If nothing else it got his son to stop squirming and relax.

_“When the sun has set and the light does fade_

_You and I will remember our land in shade._

_Never seen by day, never known by light_

_You and I will return to our Kingdom of Night.”_

Varian began to blink slowly, Quirin pulled his hand out of his grasp and the baby hardly seemed to notice.

_“Stars cover the sky,_

_Softly they glow in our eye,_

_Beyond the cruel thorn,_

_Calls the place where we’re born,_

_Our Kingdom stands tall in the dark…._

_And when skies do turn black,_

_You and I will go back.”_

As he sang Quirin couldn’t help but feel melancholy. His wife wrote this lullaby for the broken-hearted people, all now in exile. And though she’d meant it to be hopeful the more he sang it the more it began to feel like an empty promise... But he tried not to dwell on that as he looked down at his sleepy son and continued to softly sing.

_“When the earth calls out, breaking heart and stone,_

_You and I will go back to our castle and home._

_“When dark sets in and the shadows loom,”_

The final words died on his lips though when he heard a new voice near the window join his.

_“You and I will both meet in the light of our moon.”_

Spinning around he saw a figure sitting on the windowsill. And Quirin’s heart felt like it was lodged in his chest before he realized who it was… With the moon behind them it had covered their face in shadows, hiding their face markings and braids. But as Quirin’s eyes adjusted they narrowed and he relaxed a small fraction.

“Hector,” Quirin hissed. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just in town and I heard the good news.” Hector replied simply.

Quirin didn’t reply with a verbal answer, but the look on his face spoke novels. They both knew the man hadn’t set foot in any other kingdom since they were all sent away. And even if he didn’t know, the smell and the state of the man’s hair gave it away.

Hector continued. “I wanted to congratulate you personally. That’s the little bundle of joy right there, isn’t it.”

“No.” Quirin said, completely straight-faced. “I just like holding old laundry at two in the morni- Yes, it’s my son you idiot.”

“Give him here old friend!” Hector said, stretching out his arms and making grabby hands.

Quirin was tempted to say no, mostly because it was Hector asking to hold his son. Plus he’d just gotten Varian to rest and putting him in the arms of a stranger was guaranteed to make the baby wake back up and wail.

And yet, even knowing the possible consequences, Quirin got up and gently laid Varian in Hector’s waiting arms anyways.

Hector quickly hugged the baby close to his chest and spun around as he began doting on the baby. Watching it all reminded Quirin of those about baby-snatchers from New Corona, both the real one and rumored ones cooked up by the towns-people. And surprisingly, even though Varian did wake up he didn’t seem upset to be held by Hector. If anything the baby even began to smile as Hector talked in a sing-song voice.

“Oh just look at you! You’ll be such a little trouble-maker, won’t you Vari. I can already tell!”

“How would you know?” Quirin asked.

“The eyes of course! Just look at them! All he has to do is make a couple faces and I bet Daddy and Mommy and every other sucker in this Kingdom will fall for it!” Hector said proudly.

“I think it’s already working on you.” Quirin said.

But Hector barely paid the man any mind. “Such big, adorable eyes! And bright too! You’ll have a little mastermind right here! You’ll do your Uncle Hector proud, I just know it!”

Quirin tried to follow Hector as he danced around the room but when that name came from his mouth Quirin found himself pausing. “Uncle?”

For once since invading the house Hector seemed unsure of himself. “Surely I would, right? And Adira too?”

Quirin didn’t have an immediate answer for that.

“I mean, I know a lot has happened between us all, and we’ve gone our separate ways. But we’re still family, right Quirin?”

He tried to reply, almost hating the words as they came from his own throat. “You can’t promise you’ll be here. I have my responsibilities, and you clearly have yours. Everything is different now Hector…”

“But we still have the same duties in the heart of it all…” Hector said in an earnest voice. “To be noble, and diligent, and to keep our secrets. I’d do anything for our Kingdom, our _true_ Kingdom, and I know you’d do that same. We are men that uphold our oaths.”

“That we are…” Quirin replied solemnly. “Now can I please have my son back? He really should be asleep right now.”

Reluctantly, as if he were giving a piece of himself away, Hector gave Quirin back his son. “Goodnight, nephew.”

With that, Hector began making his way back towards the window.

“Do you plan on coming here again?” Quirin asked

“Maybe… When the skies are black.”

“They already are. It’s night.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we Quirin?” Hector replied with a sad smile. “Goodbye brother.”

“Godbye… Brother.”

Hector spun around, green eyes practically radiating joy.

“Don’t make me regret saying that.”

“I’ll try not to.” Hector replied back, swinging his legs over the windowsill and looking back and Quirin and Varian one last time. “Take care of them both. And tell Abbi I said hello.”

“I will.” Quirin replied honestly.

“And keep an eye on that hair.” Hector said, suddenly sounding very serious.

And with that he dropped down from the window and was gone.

For the rest of the night, Quirin watched over his son who drifted in and out of sleep. All the while thoughts of his family and his past lingered around Quirin.

 

A few weeks later, Quirin received another night visitor after Varian fell asleep. One much quieter and subdued.

She refused to hold the baby, even when Quirin offered. She claimed she just wanted to see what Varian looked like.

And she frowned deeply when she saw that blue streak in Varian’s hair.

“Well that’s probably not good.”

“What do you think it means?” Quirin asked.

“I don’t know… But I’d keep an eye on it if I were you.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing, Adira?!” He snapped. But all his pent-up irritation melted away when Vairan started to wake up again. Quirin was quick to hush and coo his son back to sleep.

Adira just watch with a small smile on her face. “You’ll be a good father…”

“You say that like you had doubts.”

“I still do.” Adira replied bluntly.

Quirin could only reply with a muttered. “I try. I’m really trying here.”

“Try you’re best.” Adira said. “And take care of them both. Your family.”

Adira began to walk towards the window. Quirin wasn’t surprised, for as long as he knew her Adira had always valued her freedom and solitude. It was just how she was and there was nothing that could really change that. Quirin understood that, and if anything he often found he had a similar nature.

But he found himself rushing to say “You know I considered you family too, Adira.”

Adira gave him a small nod. “If you ever need me, you know where to find me.”

And with that she jumped back out the window and disappeared into the night.

Leaving Quirin alone with his son and all his worries.


	3. Future/Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I had an interesting idea for Future/Past, though technically one of the characters is an antagonist. Still I thought it’d be interesting to see him have a talk with the most underrated historian in Corona who definitely deserves to show up in SCAM! 
> 
> (Also fair warning, this prompt is a lot longer than either of my previous one-shots! I was thinking a lot about Game of Thrones while writing and it ended up inspiring me to really get into details with all this loool)

Hubert had made it back into the city without a hitch. He was almost insulted. All he had to do was change his hairstyle and the guards didn’t even recognize him. It was like they hadn’t even notice him escape from the dungeons. And after hiding for half a year on the countryside he’d been wiped from their minds completely. At least it made his job of dismantling Corona from the inside all the easier. Especially now the Princess, her boyfriend and most importantly Cassandra were all away on their suicide mission…

As he made his way through the crowded streets he had to resist sneering. They went through their lives so innocently. Ignorant actually. They didn’t realize someone was here trying to sabotage their kingdom. They didn’t even know that the kingdom and royal family they held so dear were all a lie. A pretty-faced lie with hideous secrets. And whether these people liked it or not he was going to reveal all of those secrets and leave the kingdom of Corona in shame as he and his people finally separated and forged their home once again.

Still as he thought all these things, Hubert made sure not to let any of them read on his face. He smiled almost all the time, gave friendly waves to those passing by, he even looked up to the decorations hanging across the streets as if in wonder. He had to sell the idea that he actually wanted to be here. That he was some ignorant Coronan just like them.

It seemed like no matter where you stood in the city you could always see the castle. It’s white-washed stone poking out from behind buildings and its green bulbous spires piercing the sky. It almost made Hubert feel like he was being watched. Had it not been for the hilariously inept guards he might have been more paranoid. But for the most part it just gave him motivation. Maybe once the people of Saporia rebuilt their kingdom the people of Corona would feel the same amount of distrust towards that beautiful castle that he had. 

As he made his way through the city that castle loomed closer and closer. Towering over him.

All he had to do was finish altering his appearance, enter the castle employment under a new name maybe something like “Jasper” or “Conrad”, take on a job cleaning where he has access to many rooms and people ignore him, wait for another big celebration, collect all the “literature” he’d been asked to retrieve and escape from the castle and kingdom amidst the celebrating crowds and the cover of night.

It was a simple enough plan, even simpler now that the crown princess and her allies weren’t an added obstacle.

Everything was going smoothly until the storm hit. As night approached a massive rainstorm hit the city, Hubert could barely see a few feet in front of him. And when caught in the rain it almost felt like he was being jabbed by a hundred little fingers. It was still a couple miles to get to the inn, but Hubert didn’t even know if he could make it that far.

“Sir! You there!” A voice boomed out behind him.

Hubert turned to see a man calling out from one of the buildings. He was waving him over.

“You look like you could use some shelter! Stay out here much longer and you’ll make yourself ill!”

Well, that just made things easier for Hubert. He put on a bright, fake smile as he made his way out of the rain and into this man’s home. “Thank you so much sir! You saved me a hike through the city! What is your name?”

“Xavier, Corona’s finest blacksmith! And you are?”

“Jasper.” Hubert replied. Jasper had a nice ring to it. “Jasper Ramsey.”

“Come on in Jasper! Make yourself comfortable. I imagine it will be a while until this storm lets up.” Xavier said.

As the stepped into the forge Hubert could feel the warmth radiating from the roaring fires. He hadn’t even realized how badly the frigid rain had seeped into him, all the way to his bones. He practically melted into his seat as he soaked up the warmth.

Xavier followed suit, sighing as he sank into his own chair and kicked his feet up. “So I don’t recognize you, and you don’t really know me so I doubt you’re from around here. What brings you to Corona Jasper?”

Hubert became his little scripted intro he had prepared for when he applied for a job in the castle. “I’m from Old Corona and here in the city to visit my sister.”

“Really that’s nice.” Xavier replied.

“Yes, I’ve actually been thinking about moving here myself. So that we can be nearby. She’s going to have her second child come spring and I want to be close if her family needs help with the kids.”

“Well I hope that works out, you seem like a good brother and uncle.”

“Oh, uh thank you.” Hubert continued. While he enjoyed the heat and the conversation was alright. As the rest of his body dried it became clear his vest was going to need more time and was starting to stick to his back and neck. He tried to shift so he could take off his vest and hang it around the back of his chair. “What about you Xavier? Do you have any family here-”

He paused for a moment and watched in horror as his locket suddenly broke apart and clattered onto the floor.

But before he could even scramble to grab them, Xavier was up from his chair and gingerly picked up both halves. “What poor luck! I’m sorry Jasper. I think your chain broke. And the force of the fall snapped that locket.”

 “It’s no worry. Darn thing always breaks on me, not matter what I do.” Hubert replied.

“It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.” Xavier said, looking at each half of his locket, holding them close to the light. “I can have your necklace on a new, sturdier chain and back in one piece before you know it!”

“There’s no need.” Xavier tried to say.

“Where did you get a necklace like this?” Xavier asked. Huber hated how intensely the man was looking at his locket. Analyzing it.

“It’s just a gift from my aunt.” Hubert said, rushing, “It means a lot to me, so if you don’t mind I’d like that back now, Xavier.”

Xavier held the necklace in his hands, still not returning it.

“Actually, I was asked to fix a Saporian locket just like this one not too long ago…”

The easy-going, amiable look on Xavier’s face melted away to something very serious. And Hubert realized this man knew exactly who he was.

He jumped up from his chair and was ready to sprint away but Xavier spoke again. It was almost unnerving how calm his voice could be.

“You run and I’ll call the guards. Or you can sit back down and we’ll talk.”

He could run. He already knew the guards were a joke here. But he couldn’t risk word spreading that there was a spy in the city. Especially when this man could tell others exactly what he looked like…

Not wanting to risk ruining he mission before it even began, Hubert sat back down. Glaring daggers at the other man as he did so.

“So,” Xavier began, resting his hands back into the sides of his chair. “Why are you here?”

“Like I’d tell you my plans that easily.”

“I don’t mean your plans. I mean your purpose. Why come to Corona again and again, behaving like a rouge? What’s motivating you to do all this?”

Hubert was silent for a moment, thinking over his answer carefully. When he finally answered he looked Xavier dead in the eyes. “Justice.”

“For Saporia?” Xavier asked.

“Yes, for my Kingdom. My _true_ Kingdom.” Hubert said with a deep conviction.

“So that you can separate from Corona and restate your kingdom?”

“Yes.” Hubert replied. He was starting to hate how much this man seemed to know about him and his people. “Why are you so interested?”

“Along with being a smith I also pride myself as a historian. Our stories have a way of lingering here even after we’re gone. And if we don’t hold onto those stories then we lose them. We lose a part of families, our kingdoms, ourselves. I’m sure you can agree to that.”

As much as he wanted to hate the man and disagree with everything he said, Hubert couldn’t deny what Xavier was saying hit close to home. “History is why I’m here at all. History and the truth.”

“The truth of Saporia?”

“The truth of everything! Of Corona, Saporia,” Hubert continued, he knew Xavier struck a chord but he couldn’t stop himself. “Of General Shampanier and your villain of a king!”

“You think Herz Der Sonne was a villain?”

“What else do you call people who do wicked thing? Fiends? Monsters?”

“He wasn’t a villain or monster in the eyes of Corona.” Xavier said, “You know we have a story about Your General and Our King if you’d allow me.”

With the downpour continuing and Xavier’s threat still looming in the air Hubert sighed. “Well, it’s not like we have anything else to do. Tell me your _story_.”

Xavier did, using all the passion and wonder as he always used when retelling a legend.

_“Long ago, there were two Kingdoms with a long, bitter rivalry. One that grew into an all-out war. A long, cruel war. One that made both Kingdoms suffer as they squabbled over land and sea._

_Until one day, the very leaders of both Kingdoms came face to face. The Mighty King and the Mighty General. They fought in hand-to-hand, both refusing to back down, refusing to rest, refusing to give their opponent an ounce of ley way. For they weren’t just fighting for their pride or ego, they were fighting for their kingdoms, their people, for everything they stood for and believed in. It was a passionate fight with fierce shows of skill, strength and strategy._

_However as they fought, the King and the General realized something. A deep truth that neither had even acknowledged before. But now as they fought and stared deeply into each other’s eyes, the truth was unavoidable._

_For the King and the General loved each other…_

_And in that fight their love continued to blossom and grow, until the King and General couldn’t bear to continue hurting one another and ceased fighting. On that day everyone stopped fighting as well and at long-last the horrible war was over._

_A treaty was sign, and a marriage was arranged. And from then on the two rival kingdoms became one, big, beautiful Corona. Built from the love of two former rivals…”_

Hubert remained quiet once Xavier finished his story. And there was a deep frown that made his whole face sink. Xavier wondered if his story had reached him.

“So you see Jasper, we aren’t from two kingdoms, but one in the same.”

“I’ll admit that is a nice story.” Hubert replied after a moment. “But we the true people of Saporia have a much different tale, if you’d allow me.”

“By all means.” Xavier replied with a sigh.

“Very well…” Hubert said before telling his own story. One that held much more anger, bitterness and sorrow than in Xavier’s.

_“It is true that before there were two rivaling kingdoms… One from the mainland and one from the islands…_

_And it is true that for many years the two faced sabotage, manipulation and war…_

_But it is the end of that war where things took a turn for the worst._

_For the kingdoms of Corona and Saporia were equal in intellect and pride. But not in resources._

_The King of Corona, Herz Der Sonne, used is armies to block off the coasts so that no matter where the people of Saporia tried to go they couldn’t safely collect resources from their allies on the mainland. The people of Saporia began to starve. And while they grew weak, Corona only grew stronger._

_In a final effort the brave, wise and noble General Shampanier decided to fight the Coronan King face to face. She believed that if they fought for themselves rather than continue to make their people fight on their behalf there might finally be an end to this horrible war…_

_However, she was also a beautiful woman, and when the day came for her to fight against the Tyrant King Sonne he became bewitched by her beauty as they fought. And he instead of continue to fight he gave Genral Shampanier an offer._

_If she ordered her armies to cease fire, surrender and became his wife, Herz Der Sonne would call an end to the war and nobody else would be hurt._

_And if she refused. They would continue to fight, and fight, and choke the life out of Saporia until there was nothing left. And they would be wiped completely out of existence._

_Having no other choice General Shampanier agreed to Corona’s terms…_

_And while peace came it wasn’t truly fair. The very word Saporia was banned from being said. Our culture and customs taken away. And what was kept was never considered anything but Coronan. Our people may have survived the war. But in turn we lost everything…_

_Ever since we have collected our history and culture in secret. And we who remember hold hope that someday, somehow, we will find a way to divorce Saporia from Corona forever and at long last live as ourselves. Free…”_

Finally finishing, Hubert gave Xavier a smirk though a sadness still lingered in his eyes. “So you see Xavier, we never were apart of just one Kingdom. Nor will we ever truly be. You said stories and legends are a part of us… They mean a lot to me as well, more than you may ever realize.”

Xavier nodded solemnly. “I see... And I think I do understand you and your organization better. It makes so much sense now.”

“Just by fighting to keep our history alive Corona takes us as a threat.” Hubert said.

“Only because you fight to erase our own history in return.” Xavier argued back.

“Your lies you mean.” Hubert snapped. “Your kind lies that turn every war into a game, and every forced marriage into a love story.”

“But things are different now.” Xavier tried to say. “Were Saporians to live openly with the public they’d be as welcomed as every other culture and people now a part of Corona. We’re stronger together than we are separate.”

Hubert just shook his head. “No that’s where I disagree. United peoples can be strong but they also can sweep problems under a rug. Let me ask you something, Xavier, if Corona is so perfect, and everyone is so happy, than why is there so much poverty and crime? Why are some cities like Vardaros in such distraught conditions?”

“The kingdom wasn’t always like this.” Xavier replied. “In recent years things may have grown direr. But I have no doubts that future leadership will be able to steer our kingdom back into peace and balance.”

“So you think the King’s to blame?” Hubert replied.

Xavier didn’t answer immediately. And when a replied he spoke lowly. “The King and Queen were in mourning for many years. Sadness like that can cloud the mind.”

“And with his mismanagement came the suffering of their so-called people. Something that could be avoided if so many weren’t trapped under his rule and could take care of themselves!” Hubert said. “I believe we should be separated not only because of our painful history. But for the protection of our people, of every people that have been pulled into Corona. As separate kingdoms we could manage ourselves easier.”

Xavier, nodded. “You do bring up some fair points.”

Hubert was shocked. “You think so? I thought you would disagree.”

“No, you clearly have thought about this notion for a long time. And you do have some valid concerns. I think if we were to establish trade we could spread out resources unique to different regions better. Even generate some revenue for so many towns on the brink of collapse.”

Hubert was relieved to hear what Xavier was saying. Until he continued.

“However, I don’t think we have to separate our kingdom into smaller pieces to achieve these goals, Jasper.”

All at once Hubert lost his patience again and sneered. “It’s not _our_ kingdom. It’s yours. I was never meant to be a part of this.”

“And yet here you are…”

For a while both just sat in a tense, awkward silence. As they’d swapped stories and argued the rain had begun easing. And as they sat quietly they could hear the rain hitting the roof of the forge. Slowly it faded and lightened until it was finally gone completely.

“Well you should probably get going.” Xavier finally said, Getting up from his chair and tending to the fire. “It’s late and I imagine you probably had other plans than reminiscing about the past and arguing socio-economics with an old man.”

Hubert was dumbstruck. “Wait… You’re just going to let me go?”

“You haven’t done anything wrong. Not yet at least.” Xavier replied, now messing with something near those flames. “There’s nothing in the law saying it’s illegal to disagree about the state of the kingdom. We’re all entitled to our opinions.”

Hubert still felt unsure as he rose from his chair and grabbed his now-dry vest. “What about the guards?”

“If anything happens I’m sure they can handle themselves. And if they come to me with questions I’ll be honest. I helped a man stuck out in the rain and we had a good talk.” Xavier said lightly.

“A good talk?”

“Yes. I believe it’s always important to see things from a new perspective. You often find those missing details you didn’t see before. I don’t know about you but I discovered something new after our talk. So thanks for that.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?” Hubert said. He wasn’t sure what to make of Xavier now. “But what about my plans? No matter what you say, I’m still going through with them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Xavier said with a sigh. “But that’s your choice. And you’re free to make it. I just hope you don’t lose sight of what you’re fighting for. History is a fragile thing, and once it’s destroyed it’s gone. You know that as well as I do.”

As Hubert made his way towards the door, Xavier joined him and handed him back his Saporian locket. And he realized the blacksmith had fixed the cracked link on the chain as well as the broken hinge on the locket. It was good as new. And stronger than ever before.

“Take care of yourself, Jasper.”

“Thank you…”

Before leaving, Hubert decided to be honest.

“And, it’s Hubert actually.”

Xavier nodded and smiled. “Well than take care of yourself, Hubert. I hope we can find true peace someday.”

As he left he faced the city and its towering castle with a brave face. Leaving that warm forge behind.

“So do I…”


	4. Weakness/Strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I knew I wanted to include these two somewhere in SCAM and here they finally are! I decided to give this prompt to two of my faves, Captain Quaid and Vex! I love their dynamic and always like to imagine that after Rapunzel and her crew left Vardaros, they developed a sorta Batman/Robin dynamic duo vibe (with Vex probably being a sassy Jason Todd-like Robin lol)
> 
> Anyways I hope you guys enjoy! And be on the look-out for my last story coming out during this week!

In the mornings Vardaros was washed in waves of yellow and gold as the sun rose up in the distance. Now that the Weasel and Collector and all their tents and nets were gone the people of the city could appreciate it every day now.

While most people were just getting up to enjoy the sunrise though, Vex and Captain Quaid had been awake well before dawn. Ever since agreeing to be Vardaros’s new deputy, Vex, had also agreed to do some training with the reinstated Sheriff.

Away from the city, clashes and clangs sounded out as Quaid coached Vex through their now-daily morning routine. And as the sun rose it made the swords they fought with shine a little. Though both were dull for the sake of training.

Along with exercises in endurance, strength and speed the two also practiced their swordsmanship in routine fights. And though she found the other parts of their routine a little enjoyable, she found these mock fight horribly dull. Quaid always went easier on her, and she could tell he was also rather rusty from fighting hand-to-hand. Not to mention Quaid insisted on fighting using simplistic moves and blocking techniques, though he promised that they would advance to more challenging moves once they mastered these beginning positions.

Promises aside though, Vex was bored as she mock-fought.

“I mean what’s the point of practicing these moves again and again. A real fight isn’t like this. In a real fight people don’t nitpick over technique.” Vex said with a huff.

“Hey the technique helps! There’s a reason why some swordsmen can keep fighting as old men and others can barely articulate their hands, and it’s not cause of luck!” Quaid replied back. “It’s about building up your strength and dexterity the right way.”

“It’s not like I never fought before.” Vex said, not even putting an effort to block Quaid’s attacks. “I made and sold weapons for a living man!”

“Just because you fought, doesn’t mean you fought with correct posture. Now make sure you aren’t over-extending your arm, and keep your back straight.”

Vex grumbled. But she did comply at least. Standing a little taller than she was before and keeping an eye on her sword arm as she struck.

“Good! We’ll make a proper fighter of you yet.”

“That seems like your biggest goal, doesn’t it? More like obsession at this point.” Vex said.

“Well I can’t have my favorite deputy hurting themselves on the job.”

“I’m your _only_ deputy.”                                                       

“All the more reason to make sure you’re ready for anything.”

Vex shrugged “Eh, whatever you say Sheriff.”

 

Well into the morning once Quaid and Vex were through training they’d go into town and begin their daily rounds. Checking up on all the shops and charts, seeing if there were any people in need of help, bringing food and jars of honey to the poor families… Well poorer families. Thing may have gotten better in Vardaros, but there were still many things that needed to happen to truly make the city a good place to live. Problems that could only truly be fixed internally.

The Sheriff and his Deputy performed their duties as they normally did. Ever since the Baron’s men had been scared out of town things were much quieter now. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t still trouble lurking around…

Around mid-day as the duo was delivering Quaid’s last jars of honey to those who couldn’t afford any food in the Marketplace a disaster struck.

A few distant screams near the farmer’s corner quickly turned into shrieks and begging when a group of robbers attacked.

Quaid gave Vex a questioning look. Vex nodded back. And the two began to make their ways silently through the crowds to see what was happening.

A circle had formed around several booths set up by visiting farmers from outside of town. But nobody moved closer for fear of several masked men holding swords ready to attack.

“Nobody move or these yella-belly, green-thumbs get it!” One of the men shouted, the leader no doubt, as he circled around pointing his swords at everyone as he hid behind his men.

All while two men held knives up the farmer’s throats and demanded they give them all their gold and crops.

While the crowds were nervous and antsy, the Sheriff and his Deputy were cool and calculated. Watching as the scene unfolded. Until Quaid spotted something they could use.

“Nobody’s got shields, keeping their hands free. And the guys closest all favor their right hands.” Quaid muttered under his breath so only Vex could hear. “We can move over to the right to disarm them.”

Vex nodded, and focused down at their hands. “They’re all using hammer grips too, they must be use to fighting close-in.”

Caught off for a moment, Quaid looked down at Vex beaming with pride. “You were listening?”

“What do you think I do every morning?” Vex snapped quietly.

“I thought you said it was my swordsmanship training was boring?”

“Yeah, it is. But that doesn’t mean I’d just ignore you. Sometimes you say something actually helpful.”

Quaid smiled before narrowing his eyes at the robbers. “Alright then, let’s see how much you remember from training then, Deputy. We’ll move in from the right and break up their outer ring. When I give the signal.”

As Quaid made his way to the right side of the booths, Vex followed suit. Readying her sword. “You got it Chief.”

Quaid watched the robbers with a steely gaze. Specifically the two directly threatening the farmers. Their families were rushing to give them all of their money and food. And while the two kept their daggers ready, they’d keep tossing their supplies backwards to the other men. Quaid refused to move though. Not until the robber’s moved their daggers away from the farmers.

When the robber bent down to grab their goods and the two pulled away their daggers to grab the money Quaid knew their moment arrived.

And when Quaid cleared his throat Vex readied her own sword.

Charging forwards through the crowds, Quaid and Vex attacked and quickly disarmed two of the robbers when they were least suspecting. And not even hesitating Quaid ran further into the fold and drew his sword against the men closest to the farmers.

“Excuse me gentlemen, I believe you have to pay for all this.” Quaid loudly announced. “That’s generally how these monetary exchanges work.”

“And paying with the money you just stole from those people doesn’t count.” Vex added in as she went after another man from the right.

“Generally frowned upon.” Quaid agreed.

Working together, and rousing the crowds around them to action, they were able to fight the men out of the marketplace. As they ran, the robbers took some of the crops. But as Quaid and Vex drew closer they ended up abandoning most of their stolen goods in their flight out of Vardaros. Goods that were promptly returned to the poor farmers.

With no casualties and only a few scares it seemed like the day was saved yet again by Captain Quaid the Blade and his fierce and formidable Deputy Vex…

 

Later after a long day of patrolling, the two found themselves back at Quaid’s home watching the fiery red sunset overtake the city.

“You think they were working for the Baron?” Vex asked. Breaking the silence.

“Not too certain,” Quaid said, “They seemed pretty organized. Had a plan ahead of time. They might have been given orders from above. But they also didn’t seem worried about reaching any quotas, most of them dropped the money when they ran, which makes me think they were working alone.”

“That and they seemed more worried about the crops than the money... They were probably hungry.” Vex added on a slightly sad note.

Quaid nodded and frowned. “It’s a shame… I feel like we’re trying to make a difference, many people are. And yet there’s still so much resistance.”

“Eh, we can only help those who are willing.” Vex said. “And I’m pretty sure I didn’t see any of those guys earlier when we were giving away your honey and food.”

“That’s a good point.” Quaid replied, still thinking it over. As he did he offered Vex a cup. “Tea?”

“Uh, thanks but no thanks.” Vex said, looking at the cup in slight disgust.

“Suit yourself.” Quaid said. Putting the teacup back. “After an eventful day I use to have a cup of tea, helps me relax. Think straight. Plus thanks to my little friends I can add some fresh honey whenever I please.”

After stirring in a spoonful of honey he sipped his tea and smiled.

Vex held out for a few more seconds before finally relenting. “Fine, I’ll take a cup. But don’t put any honey or sugar in it. I can’t stand tea when it’s too sweet.”

“Here you go.”

Vex was a little tentative at first. Swirling her teacup around and eyeing the light brown drink. But after her first sip she nodded. “Pretty good.”

“Got it from a traveling merchant.” Quaid said. “They seemed nice enough. I’m happy travelers feel more comfortable visiting Vardaros now.”

“I just hope they don’t get too comfortable though.” Vex said with a smirk. “Can’t have a bunch of strangers wandering around and causing trouble.”

“Oh no, there’ll be a balance if I have any say.” Quaid replied with a chuckle. “Vardaros may be many things but I’ll die before I let it become some kitschy tourist trap.”

Vex couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. “And how would they turn Vardaros into a tourist trap, exactly?”

“You never know, some people can romanticize anything if they try.”

“Even our lovely landscape of brown, brown, and more brown?”

“There’s a little grey in there too. Shakes things up.” Quaid replied back.

They both shared a laugh as the sun continued to set.

Smiling, Quaid breathed a sigh of relief. “Today was a good day, deputy…”

And even though she wasn’t one for so much sappiness, Vex found herself smiling back.

“You can say that again, Sheriff…”


	5. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok time to wrap up my prompts for SCAM! For this one I decided to have a little fun wrote about two very different adventuring ladies! Thank you all so much for your positivity and support and I hope you enjoy this last edition!

For the life of her, Stalyan couldn’t figure out why a bar would hire a clown. At least she thought the lady must be a clown or performer of some sort. Who would willing dress in so many bright and obnoxious colors? And those ridiculous looking braids?

Stalyan had been sitting near the back of a dingy bar, keeping to herself and nursing a drink when this lady kicked the door open and rushed in. For a second Stalyan thought it might be someone she knew, until she opened her mouth. Now she had no idea what to make of the woman and just silently watched as Clown-Lady made a scene.

She pretty much pounced on the bar flies and regulars milling about. Somehow knowing the names of practically everyone as well as their whole life history apparently. Asking about families, and friends, and pet cats.

The weirdest thing though was how everyone seemed to give her that energy back. Normally in a place like this anything or anyone so bright and bubbly would have gotten their nose broken. But it seemed like everyone here actually liked her and were happy to tell her all about their kids and cats.

If she were a clown and this was all some weird bar-show, it certainly was a dumb one. Stalyan decided to finish her drink ignoring the weird woman, and hopefully she wouldn’t be bothered and leave the bar without getting dragged into all this nonsense.

The task got harder when Clown-Lady decided to start telling everyone stories about her so-called friends. A whole group gathered around her. And every couple minutes she just had to say something funny that made the whole bar burst into over-the-top laughter. And no matter how much Stalyan tried to ignore it, the was no way she could ignore how it practically made the building shake and rattled her drink on the table.

Groaning, she messaged at her temples. Of all the bars in all the world, how the heck did she end up in the only one with a clown? All she wanted was a quiet night where she could enjoy and drink or two before going back on the road. She didn’t want nor would ever want to deal with bar-shows. Especially ones that apparently involved clown-ladies in eyesore colors, rambling about lame stories.

And yet, as much as Stalyan wanted to deny it. There was a small part of her that almost wished to be in the fold. She was never one for groups. Duos maybe, as long as she her partner wouldn’t to stab her in the back before she could stab them. But after dealing with Rapunzel and her group she began to see some of the appeal. Granted being in a group meant having people completely trust you and you having to trust them in return… And Stalyan honestly doubted she’d be able to do that anytime soon.

So she just watched the show from afar with mostly irritation and a secret smidge of wistfulness.

Eventually the group died down and everyone went back to their normal bar fly positions around the bar. But before Stalyan could feel relieved someone slid into the booth next to her.

“So what’s your story?”

Stalyan silently screamed, but kept up a cool neutral face and refused to look at the other woman. “Go away clown, I’m not here for your show.”

“Clown?” The woman asked, she looked around muttering to herself until she looked at her own clothes and smiled. “OH! You thought I was a clown? It’s cause of all the orange isn’t it?”

Stalyan was surprised, and now that she knew this lady wasn’t a clown it just made her weirder. “That and just everything else you got going on there, lady.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” The woman said, brushing off Stalyan’s insult as she flagged down one of the barmen. “After spending two year in Rohija, I learned that I loved orange. It’s such a bold, beautiful color! When I was in the Rohijan city of Clarcrys everything was orange. The buildings, the tapestries hung window to window. Even the food! They made this delicious six-bean hummus-”

“What are you doing here?” Stalyan asked, interrupting the woman.

“I pegged you for the traveling type.” The woman replied with a smile.

“Whether I am or am not isn’t your business.” Stalyan said.

“I thought you’d be curious though.” The woman continued. “I can tell. You have that look about you.”

Stalyan was about to interrupt when one of the barmen came over with two full mugs.

“Thanks, Grant!” The woman said warmly before turning back to Stalyan. “Have a drink, on me.”

“I don’t really drink with strangers…”

The woman, looked at Stalyan for a moment before she realized something and fake-hit her head. “Oh I’m sorry, sometimes I get so wrapped-up in everything I forget to introduce myself to new folks.” She extended her hand, sitting up a little straighter. “The name’s Willow!”

Stalyan gave the woman an incredulous look. Normally she might have punched this woman’s lights out, tell her to never speak to her again and storm off. But there was still something familiar about the woman. And it wasn’t like she had any other grand plans for her night in this middle-of-nowhere-town. Plus she was still trying to do that whole turn-a-new-leaf thing after her last run in with Rapunzel.

So going against her old nature, Stalyan reached over to firmly shake Willow’s hand. “Stalyan.”

“Lovely to meet you, Stalyan.” Willow beamed, before starting to sip one of the mugs. “And the name sounds awfully familiar…”

“That’s usually not a good thing.”

“You got a bad reputation or something?” Willow asked.

Stalyan took one of the mugs and swirled it around before taking a drink. “More or less… Leaning more towards _more_ , if you catch my drift.”

“Oh I see.” Willow said, giving the woman an over-the-top wink. “Believe me, I’ve got friends in high places, low places, places of every kind!”

 “No offense but you really, really don’t seem like they type.” Stalyan said.

Willow leaned in a little closer and spoke in an excited, hushed voice. “You have no idea. I’ve been to a lot of different places. Met a lot of different people along the way…”

“Really?”

“Absolutely!” Willow replied. “Would you like to hear about it?”

Stalyan just shrugged. “Sure, why not? Just promise you won’t drag a whole crowd over here. It’s not really my scene.”

“Alright! Let’s see, what would you like to hear about?”

“How’bout your precious Orange-land.” Stalyan said with a smirk. “Anything fun happen in Clarcrys?”

Willow had this spark of mirth as she took a long drink from her mug. “Good choice! So, I should probably start from the beginning a few years back…”

As Willow began recounting her tale of how she ended up in Rohija after a rough storm forced the ship she was one to dock early outside of Corona. And afterwards she “fell so in love with the city and all its beauty that she couldn’t bear to leave so soon.” or so she said. Stalyan didn’t find it super believable, who goes to a foreign country they’ve never been to and decides to stay for several years on a whim? But apparently Willow did. She explained that as well as an explorer she was also a trader on the side to fund all her traveling.

However Willow’s story for Stalyan was different than those for the bar. After her first couple jokes bombed for Stalyan Willow decided to avoid putting them in and just gave her the story plain and simple. Though Willow couldn’t help but sound more dramatic when it came to recounting her time with a Rohijan gang after their boss felt cheated after trading with Willow. It wasn’t her fault he didn’t properly water the rare Rainkiss Orchid of Helanar he bought off her and it died. But the boss made it her problem.

While she talked Stalyan tried to figure out exactly how this woman seemed so familiar to her. And despite her better nature, she felt herself being reeled in to the story. “Then what did you do? It’s not like that guy was just going to let it go.”

“I had to go into hiding.” Willow replied.

“And I bet that was real easy for miss-wears-neon.” Stalyan replied.

“That’s actually when I began wearing orange.” Willow said, looking down to one of her sleeves and bangles with a smile. “You see in Clarcrys, everyone loved the color orange. And to blend in better I had to die my hair and change my entire wardrobe. I got a job in a small library and laid low outside of the gang’s territory in the city.”

“And they didn’t suspect a thing?”

“I doubt it, I can be very good at hiding when necessary.” Willow said with a proud smirk. “But wasn’t just hiding and pretending to shelf books. While there I did intense research on this gang, I found out they were fairly new. It was formed after a son got into a huge fight with his father, one of the big head haunchos in Clarcrys. And I was able to use that to my advantage…”

“You went after his father?” Stalyan asked, grinning. She really didn’t peg this woman as someone so cold-hearted.

Willow looked at Stalyan with surprise. “Uhhhhh, no. I wouldn’t have done that… I was actually able to schedule a meeting between the boss and his father on neutral territory and got them to apologize and come to an agreement.”

“Oh,” Stalyan couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “That’s kinda-”

“Anticlimactic?”

“…Yeah.”

“Well, real life can be like that sometimes.” Willow said with a smile. “Not everything ends in epic battles and fire. Sometimes all it takes is a nice talk.”

“Maybe.” Stalyan said.

Willow’s smile faded a little as she continued. “Personally, I’ve learned it’s easier to just talk things out than wait around, or fight, and let the problems grow worse. I know I wished I’d handled things differently last time I ran into my sister… If we’d just been more open and honest with each other from the start it could have saved us so much time. Time I could have spent hanging out with her, and my niece.”

“You got a niece?”

“Yep and she’s an absolute sweetheart. And a real adventuring type, just like me and her mother are. Loves to feel the wind in her hair. And an excellent fighter! I bet the two of you would get along really well if you ever met!” Willow said.

Stalyan nodded back. “I think we would, she sounds nice.”

Willow got up and made her way back towards the bar to pay her bill. “Well if you ever find yourself in New Corona looking for a friend. Look for the girl with the crazy-long blonde hair and tell her Aunt Willow says hi!”

All at once Stalyan knew exactly why Willow seemed familiar. Unfortunately Rapunzel’s Aunt was already out the door and gone before Stalyan could stop her and demand an explanation.

“Weird night.” She muttered to herself, before finishing her drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side Note: Rohija and Helanar aren’t canon places in the show. Lol funfact they’re actually these made-up fantasy lands I dreamed up in middle school. I thought it’d be fitting for mysterious distant lands Willow’s gone to.
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read these stories, it really means a lot to me!


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